Don Kausler Jr. may be new to The Birmingham News, but he's not new to Alabama-style football.

In fact, this beat reporter who covers the University of Alabama spent 15 years at the Birmingham Post-Herald, mostly as sports editor. And, he had a two-year stint at The News covering legendary Coach Paul Bryant's last year with the Crimson Tide.

Kausler understands that Bama fans feed on information, and he's happy to oblige, writing all the action for the paper and posting several times a day to his blog, Tide Source (blog.al.com/tide-source). Though he doesn't have a regular TV or radio gig (yet), you can hear his take on the Tide frequently as he guests on local shows across the airwaves.

Here is what Kausler had to say about the '09 season:

What is the most memorable game moment that you've covered?

In 1982 in Knoxville, Tenn., I saw Tennessee beat Alabama for the first time since 1970. Delirious fans flooded the Neyland Stadium field. Both goal posts came down as quickly as I've ever seen. It was pure pandemonium. That was my true introduction to the phenomenon known as Southern college football.

Your most memorable Iron Bowl moment?

I remember the first one I covered the most, because it was my first one. That was "Bo Over the Top" in 1982 at Legion Field. I remember the color, the pageantry, the energy, the passion. The crowd was split between Alabama and Auburn fans, so on every single play, there was a loud roar. And I remember as hard-hitting and dramatic a game as I have seen.

Most entertaining irate fan moment?

In 1982, my wife and I were renting a house in Huffman on a sharp curve. One morning, I walked to the end of the drive to get my morning paper and saw that my mailbox had been knocked down. I suspected that a teenager had taken the curve too fast overnight and I put the mailbox back in place. The next morning, the mailbox was knocked over again. "That's interesting," I thought. " Wonder if it was the same teenager." The following morning, the mailbox was knocked over again. This wasn't a teenager, I said to myself. When I got to the house, the phone was ringing. "I know where you live!" a voice said. "Really?" I replied. "Well, I just put on a fresh pot of coffee. Why don't you come on over." Click!

Ever struggle to find something to write?

The struggle is limited access to Nick Saban and the players, and no access to assistant coaches and freshmen.

When will Nick Saban announce his starters?

Alabama coach Nick Saban has declined during the preseason to release a depth chart so people can see who the first-team and second-team players are. The first depth chart probably will come out on Monday, Aug. 31, the week of the season opener Sept. 5 against Virginia Tech in Atlanta.

What is your most memorable interview?

Easy. Five minutes with soft-spoken All-America cornerback Jeremiah Castille in 1982. It's a long story, but I had to fight hard with coach Paul Bryant to get an interview, because it was a Wednesday evening. During a game week, players were only available to reporters on Mondays, Tuesdays and through lunch time on Wednesday. I was promised an interview with Castille for three days, but each time he was a no-show. When I argued with Bryant, we got nose-to-nose, and he told me he didn't give a (bleep) about my job. But I continued to rant and rage until, unbelievably, he gave in. Worst interview I ever had. I was so stirred up my hands were shaking. I couldn't write. And Castille had nothing interesting to say. But I got a story.

What was the most interesting reader comment on your blog?

I've been told I look like Willard Scott.

Why did you become a sports journalist?

When I was young, I dreamed of playing baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals. In fourth grade, I was pretty good. In fifth grade, not bad. In sixth grade, I once struck out twice with the bases loaded and my team lost by one run. I was dejected, so I went home and listened to a Cardinals game on the radio. The next morning, I read about the game in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat. It was my everyday routine, but this day was different. The words in that story came alive. Every key play was described in rich detail. Every question I would have asked after the game was answered. So I looked at the writer's name - Jack Herman - and I thought, "Imagine that? Not only did he not have to pay to go to that game, he got paid to be there." From that moment, I wanted to be a sports journalist.

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